Dedicated to the conservation and restoration of nature, The Larch Company is a non-membership for-profit organization that represents species that cannot talk and humans not yet born. A deciduous conifer, the western larch has a contrary nature.

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Books by Andy Kerr

I have a low opinion of books; they are but piles of stones set up to show coming travelers where other minds have been, or at best signal smokes to call attention. Cadmus and all the other inventors of letters receive a thousand-fold more credit than they deserve. No amount of work-making will ever make a single soul to know these mountains. As well seek to warm the naked and frostbitten by lectures on caloric and pictures of flame. One day's exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books.

John Muir

Oh, John, lighten up.

In Print

Well, both are officially out of print, but are nonetheless still available new online. To purchase (new or used) through Amazon, click on the bulleted title.

Equal parts natural history, political future, and hiking guide, all with an attitude, Oregon Desert Guide features the 7.2 million acres proposed by for protection by Oregon conservationists as Wilderness and/or other special federal designations. From the back cover:

It is some of the wildest and remote land left in Oregon—and the object of a 40-year love affair for conservationist Andy Kerr. In 70 hikes throw snow-capped mountain ranges, deep river canyons, sagebrush-covered flats, dry lake playas, moonlike lava ields, and juniper-covered hillsides, he will seduce you, too, with the spare and mysterious beauty of the desert. And, he hopes, inspire you to action. Each of these wild areas, vital to survival of native plants and animals, is threatened. Kerr explains how you can help protect these lands forever.

If you really would like a searchable PDF version of the entire book book, send a $30 check payable to The Larch Company (7128 Highway 66, Ashland, OR 97520) to cover my time and costs and I will send you the book in searchable PDF. The file is 0.8 GB (800 MB)

238 pages, 168 color photographs and 40 color maps make the case for protecting the nearly five million acres of unprotected roadless federal forests in Oregon as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Only five million acres of unprotected roadless forest remain in Oregon, stretching from the rain drenched shores of the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Range, across the snow covered Cascades to the Blue Mountains, Wallowas and Hells Canyon; and from the Deschutes, John Day, Malheur, Klamath, Umpqua, Siskiyou and Rogue basins, to the ponderosa pine forests of the Ochoco, Winema and Fremont national forests.

These public forests shelter ancient trees, protect our purest drinking water and provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife, including many of the Pacific Northwest's last healthy runs of wild salmon, steelhead and trout, as well as numerous species of rare and imperiled flora and fauna. These awesome landscapes offer stunning views, quiet inspiration and outstanding recreational opportunities.

Only a small fraction of Oregon's unprotected forests remain intact. Oregon Wild: Endangered Forest Wilderness describes these precious wild forests and is designed to inspire readers to join the Oregon Wild and conservation partners in steadfast efforts to conserve them. Working together for wilderness protection, we can leave a legacy for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

The book was published by Oregon Wild (then Oregon Natural Resources Council) was distributed by Timber Press.

In Mind

I also have in mind (though way in the back of it), a great American novel. I don't have a title, plot, any characters, theme or all that other stuff of a literary work (not to mention any serious motivation to write it). Mostly, I just have the opening line:

Everyday, except Christmas and the Independence Day, over 50,000 chickens lose their lives in Albert Fuller's home town.

Other Resources

I am a card-carrying union member of the National Writers Union (and if you're a writer, so should you), which is sponsored by the United Auto Workers (Local 1981 AFL-CIO).